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Bernard Cheong, a prolific author, shares a unique perspective on how specific watches can inform character development for his writing. In this installment, he explores the DeGrisogono Ottoratore and the Devon Tread 1, using their distinct aesthetics and mechanical philosophies to embody different facets of wealth and technological advancement.
Of late, the last 12 months, I began to wear this particular DeGrisogono to simply get a feel of opulence.
I am in the middle chapters of my 3rd book, the working title is "An ordinary life from 1958 to 2011, doctor of sorts".
So I actually went a bit out of my way to relate myself, to familiarise myself, with some objects of thick layers of "richness" and "old moneied wealth", something I am NOT blessed with.
This DeGrisogono was one watch I chose to wear daily. It gave me a sense of the wealth, the comfort, the kind of carefree feeling of spending $70,000 without batting an eyelid. Well...it hurts me when I am trying to save money. But I chose the Ottoratore because it is not something that a questionably wealthy man would buy, but something a super rich guy can buy, if he wanted to...because it is about simply liking it.
It will not be about the way we discuss things here...resale values etc..he will or may not be too concerned.
The watch? OK...I did not have to "learn" to like it.
I liked it straight away. What is there really not to like, subjectively speaking? Solid gold. Unusual movement with a rotor INSIDE automatically winding it. And a bag of four magic tricks!
Then to get into the character of the guy who likes computers, and the latest and the "best of 10", attends the CES, may work as a pilot or an engineer in very high tech environments.
maybe he needs to like hybrid machines.
Highly technical and revolutionary new.
debatable objects.
Rarely seen watches
Something without any of the OLD world, but from the future.
The Devon Tread 1...which I had for nearly 2 years...I have nothing else like that.
This watch...I too did not have to learn to like...most people responded to this watch than any other.
It is and was and will always be "cool" and not embarassingly costly.
It is expensive enough to be a status symbol, but NOT sky high costs!
Pass with an A+
The Swiss have a very...er...Swiss style when it comes to movements.
The Degrisogono is no exception.
The complexity is dense enough for hours of loupe inspired play!
The Americans are well....stealth and military orientated mechanicals with a hybrid type drive and mechanical display.
The total american look and feel is there.
wearing it...I can feel the engineer in me.
The USA.
BTW..The Tread 1 is also the MOST "camera like" watch I have seen...it would look great with the words "CANON" on it.
I never tire of it, especially running in stealthy silent mode!
It will make a shoosh sound every minute, when the belt advances...and it is loud enough.
And a double swish shoose every 10 minutes for 2 belts advancing.
And a 3 sounded impressive sound on the hour cnage at 59 mins.
It is really great when attending board room meetings....if you are the boss.
It looks at home on a fighter plane's cockpit, and is MOST realistically the closest thing to aviation today, and not the mechanical watch, if aesthetics are taken into concern.
It looks GREAT on the inside.
Imagine that this is a $100 watch...how much better the Tread will be, even say 100 years from now!
The age will probably not show at all!
This cheap watch has not aged at all in 12 years!
Now...I can get back to writting.
I hope you enjoyed this digression!
Thanks!!!
Bernard
very apt musings about each watch's respective place in the hacking order and its (horological and personal) significance! It is particularly the latter which gets overlooked all too often. I enjoyed this very much. Magnus
Not adjusted, zero jewels!
that really highlights the two beauties. I just love that DeGrisogono..... And Casioreally deservesa post of its own J
Is a sort of decimal minute repeater, due to the sounds made every minute, 10 minutes and hour.
The watches, both the DeGrisogono and the Tread can stand alone...brandless. Just like all the MBFs, Opus, Antiqua, DB28, ...you know what I mean? The watch is simply very very nice....and sort of "peaceful" and zen like. Certainly, after spending time with it, it is very subdued and yet, asserts its presence. Quietly.
hint to the entire meeting, whether with 12 or 1 persons...that time is running out! I sort of quietly twist the crown anticlockwise to reactivate the seconds! The WHOLE ROOM can hear the seconds ticking...and they are puzzled by why they did not hear it much earlier! I almost laughed out loud at a meeting once! The damned "tick tick tick"...really sped up the whole discussion!!!
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